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Normandy, France 1944, Then and Now


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#1 Phil Phillips

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Posted 11 October 2009 - 02:28 PM

Stumbled across this site with lots of interesting then (1944) and now photos.
Normandy 1944, Then and Now

#2 bburton

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Posted 11 October 2009 - 03:45 PM

The cumulative effect of viewing such devastation and determined rebuilding is quite sobering.

Bruce Burton
 


#3 longhornz32

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Posted 14 October 2009 - 07:50 PM

What a great series. My grandfather was there and is just now opening up about what happened. Too many stories to write here but just getting TO the beach was an incredible story. He was in the second wave of Higgins boats on the way to the beach when a first wave boat heading back to sea was hit by a mortar went off course and overturned his boat. After sinking straight to the bottom and ripping off everything but a uniform he swam to sand only to look back and realize he was the only one out of the 36 on the boat that made it. He laid there alone as a 17 year old kid from Mississippi protected by an 18" sand dune, unarmed and was the only American alive he could see.

These were taken in Werdau Germany and I'd love to know where so I can see it today.





#4 cajunmike

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Posted 14 October 2009 - 07:59 PM

Is your Grandfather in one of the photos. That was a different war, with men on the ground for years, in the cold and mud.
God bless him for his service.
Mike

#5 longhornz32

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Posted 14 October 2009 - 09:03 PM

QUOTE (cajunmike @ Oct 14 2009, 08:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Is your Grandfather in one of the photos. That was a different war, with men on the ground for years, in the cold and mud.
God bless him for his service.


Cajun you're right, my generation doesn't have a clue how bad things can get.

He was the one usually taking the pictures so he's not in those. His tour was like a who's who of Europe; Normandy, Battle of the Bulge and his small unit stumbled on Buchenwald.

Bottom row second from right.



You can see other pictures here...

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#6 Eric_T

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Posted 17 October 2009 - 06:15 PM

Thanks for the before and after photo site. I always enjoy those.

By the way there is a small military museum in Fort Worth on Dorothy Lane between 6th and 7th streets that I have yet to visit, but want to. I believe its main focus is World War II.

And here's another WW2 photo site if anyone is interested:

http://www.ww2incolor.com/

#7 pallen

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Posted 13 November 2009 - 10:07 AM

Amazing how little Europe has changed. If that were the US. Most of the buildings would have been flattened and replaced with something "modern".




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